


Accident Prone

by HeadphoneArcheologist



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Fluff, Island Mode (Dangan Ronpa), M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, No Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23831662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeadphoneArcheologist/pseuds/HeadphoneArcheologist
Summary: Hajime notices Nagito gets hurt a lot, and since he clearly has no idea how to take care of himself, Hajime volunteers to do it for him.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 22
Kudos: 373
Collections: Quality Fics





	Accident Prone

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently I'm incapable of writing anything short.
> 
> My friends and I played through the four Danganronpa games some months ago and I've been writing fanfic like mad since then, so I thought I might as well post some of it.  
> It is Nagito's birthday after all. 
> 
> Shout out to CallaLily000 for being my beta again, and for making my second play through of Dangranronpa really entertaining

The first time it happens they’re in Electric Ave, searching through endless piles of junk for some rare material needed to complete Usami’s latest team building project. For the first time in what feels like forever, Nagito hasn’t been assigned to cleaning duty and has instead been partnered with Hajime.

In the words of his classmates, Nagito is only ever bearable when Hajime is nearby.

He isn’t sure what to make of that.

Kazuichi is around somewhere, but Hajime hasn’t seen him since they arrived. Honestly it doesn’t bother him much. Listening to Kazuichi gush over Sonia is just a step below listening to Nagito drone on about hope.

After digging through yet another pile of scrap and finding nothing, Hajime looks up just in time to watch as Nagito trips over an empty chassis. He stumbles to the ground hard on his hands and knees with a soft pained gasp.

Hajime hardly has to think before he’s rushing over to help the fallen boy to his feet. “Komaeda are you alright?”

Nagito grins at him in that carefree way that always puts him at ease. “I’m fine! This sort of thing happens to me all the time so I’m used to it. There’s really no need to waste your concern on someone as lowly as me.”

Hajime frowns.

There’s blood on Nagito’s hands from where he scraped up his palms catching his fall. The cuts don’t look serious, but probably still warrant a trip to the pharmacy for some disinfectant and maybe a bandaid. 

Just as Hajime is about to suggest they do that, Kazuichi shouts for his attention. He takes his eyes off Nagito for maybe half a second only to turn back around and find him gone. As much as Nagito is always happy to offer his assistance, he really is bad at accepting help for himself.

Frustrated, Hajime kicks the chassis which caused Nagito to trip.

Beneath it he finds the material they’ve spent all day looking for.

Hajime doesn’t see Nagito again until dinner. He wanders into the restaurant shortly after Hajime does, with a faint pink stain on his jeans and dried blood on his palms. Given Nagito’s disregard for his own well being, Hajime really shouldn’t be surprised.

“Oh Hinata kun what good luck-”

Before he can finish his rambling thought, Hajime grabs Nagito by the wrist and leads him to the kitchen. He doesn’t fight at all, perfectly content to let himself be dragged through the restaurant while their classmates watch on in confusion.

Hajime drags him to the kitchen sink and then lets him go. “You should wash your hands Komaeda.”

“Well if Hinata kun thinks so…” Nagito rolls the sleeves up on his jacket and washes his hands clean in the sink. The water turns a light pink as the blood is washed down the drain. Nagito shuts the tap off, shaking water off his hands. “It really is kind of you to worry about me, even if it is entirely unnecessary.”

Hajime ignores the thanks, and instead takes Nagito’s hands in his own. Gently he traces his thumbs down Nagito’s palms, looking over the small scrapes and cuts. Some of the scabs have been rubbed away, bringing fresh blood to the surface. “These don’t look too bad but you really should consider bandaids.”

When Hajime looks up, Nagito is staring back at him with wide eyes and a dusting of pink on his cheeks. “Hah… Hinata kun’s hands are so warm…”

When did he get so close? Hajime drops his hands and takes a step back, but his heart keeps pounding in his chest. 

Nagito tucks his hands into his pockets with a soft smile. “You really shouldn’t touch me Hinata kun. I’d hate for something to happen to you on account of my luck.”

That said Nagito slips out of the kitchen, leaving Hajime standing by the sink wondering if they are ever going to truly understand each other.

-

A day later Hiyoko trips Mikan as she’s heading to her cabin. She squeals and falls right into Nagito, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. 

Mikan jumps right to her feet and spouts apology after apology while Hiyoko cackles like a mad man. Nagito insists that someone as amazing as the Ultimate Nurse doesn’t need to apologize to trash like him. 

A dozen similar incidents occur over the next few days. Which begs the question; just how often does Nagito manage to hurt himself?

-

Hajime isn’t stalking Nagito, he really isn’t. He just can’t seem to stop noticing all the little ways he stumbles and injures himself throughout the week; like now that Hajime has been made aware of it he can’t stop seeing it everywhere. 

Five days after the first incident at Electric Ave, Hajime is eating breakfast with Chiaki in the hotel restaurant while he watches Nagito eat his own meager breakfast across the room. Or rather, Hajime is pushing food around his plate while Nagito completely monopolizes his attention. 

So far nothing has happened aside from Nagito dropping his fork and hitting his head on the bottom of the table while retrieving it. Still, knowing him something is bound to happen eventually.

The level music from Chiaki’s game and the soft chatter of their classmates fill the quiet morning with sound, but isn’t enough to distract Hajime from keeping watch over the class’s most accident prone member.

Chiaki asking him if he’s alright however, does manage to drag him from his one sided staring contest. “Hajime are you alright?”

“I’m fine” he assures her.

“You keep staring at Nagito.” She says.

Hajime feels his cheeks heat up, and forces his gaze down toward his plate. Normally Chiaki is far too absorbed in her game to notice anything, so of course today is the day she pays attention. “He’s just… weird,” is all Hajime can think to say in explanation. 

It’s not much of a defense but he’s sticking to it. 

“Mhm…”

“Have you noticed how often he gets hurt?”

Chiaki shrugs. “I never really paid that much attention to him.”

Of course she didn’t, because Hajime is just being weird and he knows it so why can’t he stop? “It’s crazy, he’s always tripping over something or being careless. It’s like if I look away for even a second I’ll turn back around and he’ll have blood all over him.”

“Huh. Is that why you keep staring at him then?”

“I guess.”

The death music plays from Chiaki’s handheld console. She frowns slightly but doesn’t seem too bothered by it, eagerly attacking the level with vigor. “That’s nice of you. To look after him like that.”

Maybe.

Hajime turns back to Nagito and finds the other boy looking right at him. If he noticed the staring he hasn’t said anything yet; a small mercy. Nagito smiles and even waves at him from across the room. Hesitating for only a moment, Hajime waves back. 

-

The next time it happens is a free day. The sky is blue and the sun is warm; a perfect day to relax by the pool or spend time with some friends, and the class is eager to take advantage of their day off. Hajime could ask just about anyone to hang out and they would be more than happy to say yes, but he has a specific person in mind.

Someone he knows very little about despite his easy smile and open demeanor. Someone Hajime desperately wants to understand.

Date ticket clutched in hand, Hajime sets out to find Nagito.

Hajime finds him standing in Jabberwock park. He’s got his hands in the pockets of his oversized jacket as he observes the statue in the park with a serene sort of curiosity. A smile spreads across Nagito’s face as he spots Hajime walking toward him. “Hello Hinata kun, are you enjoying your day off?”

“Yeah sure” he agrees without any sort of thought. “I’ve been looking for you, actually.”

“Me?”

Hajime hates how surprised he sounds. Is it really so unbelievable that he might actually enjoy Nagito’s company? “I um… I thought maybe… if you don’t have anything else going on, maybe we could spend the day together?”

“Ah… are you sure? There are much more worthy Ultimates on the island that I’m certain would be better company than trash like me-”

“I’m sure,” Hajime interrupts his self deprecation before he can even finish, “do you want to?”

“If it will make Hinata kun happy then I’d be glad to spend the day with you.”

That isn’t at all what he asked but he’ll take it. “Cool, where do you want to go?”

Nagito makes the effort to pretend he’s thinking about it for a moment. “Where do you want to go?”

Hajime didn’t have much of a plan in mind when he asked Nagito to hang out, so he just suggests the first thing he can think of. “The beach?”

“Oh. Do you want to go swimming Hinata kun?”

“I guess, unless you don’t want to. I honestly don’t have anything specific in mind.”

“Well in that case I’d rather not swim. Who knows what could happen with my luck… the ocean is quite a dangerous place you know, so it’s best if you stay out of the water when you’re around me.”

“Right…”

They start walking toward the beach, side by side. Nagito walks closer than what would normally be considered polite, but Hajime is used to the way Nagito both gravitates toward and shies away from physical contact. 

As they walk their shoulders occasionally brush together.

Hajime pretends not to notice. 

They end up on the same beach where they first met. The clear blue ocean spreads out against the horizon, with not a cloud in the sky. It really is the perfect day to be outside, if not a little warm. Hajime doesn’t understand how Nagito can wear that jacket of his without overheating. 

“Hey aren’t you hot? I-in your jacket I mean.”

“I’m fine Hinata kun, but if you want me to I don’t mind taking my clothes off for you.”

Hajime nearly chokes on air as his cheeks heat up. “Komaeda why are you like this?” 

Nagito has the gall to laugh at him.

It’s worth the embarrassment to hear Nagito laugh. Probably. 

An idea pops into his head. It’s a bit childish, but Hajime tries his luck anyway. “Hey we should build a sandcastle.”

“A sandcastle? That sounds like a wonderful idea! I’ve never managed to complete one before, but maybe today will be the day.”

The fragile optimism in Nagito’s eyes fills Hajime with determination to keep their castle standing until it’s done. 

They settle onto the sun warmed sand and begin building. Despite his best efforts, Hajime finds his attention drawn more to the boy sitting across from him than the task at hand. Nagito is humming under his breath, looking completely at ease. He seems perfectly content to be here on this strange island building a sandcastle with Hajime.

It’s nice. Comfortable. 

Their work goes uninterrupted for a while. An unspoken urgency behind each movement as they race time to complete their project before the tide can wash it away.

“Ah!” 

Nagito yanks his hand away from what looks like a seashell. A few drops of blood stain the sand nearby, and the edge of Nagito’s jacket sleeve where he’s holding his hand against his chest. 

It doesn’t take much thought to put together what happened. Sandcastle forgotten for the moment, Hajime reaches out to Nagito. “Here, let me see your hand.”

“Don’t worry about me Hinata kun I’m fine!”

“Komaeda give me your hand.”

Wordlessly Nagito allows Hajime to take his hand. Blood sluggishly drips down a jagged cut along the tip of his index finger. “It’s not that bad, but we should probably get this cleaned up.” 

Hajime pulls them both to their feet and ushers Nagito toward the hotel. Nagito makes small aborted attempts at resistance but eventually allows himself to be led. “Hinata kun, we didn’t finish our castle!”

“It’s fine Komaeda. We can finish it once we’ve taken care of your hand.” 

“But what if a wave washes it away while we’re gone?”

“Then we’ll just build another one.”

Nagito suddenly stops. 

Hajime, still holding onto his wrist, stops as well. Nagito stares at him with wide eyes. When he speaks, his voice is so soft Hajime almost doesn’t hear it, “you… you’d build another one? With me? Even if you have to suffer my presence for another afternoon?” 

“What? Of course I would. Even if our castle doesn’t get destroyed, I’d invite you out again. I like hanging out with you Komaeda.”

It almost surprises Hajime how much he means that. 

Even when Nagito is confusing him, or outright creeping him out, Hajime has actually enjoyed all of their time together. He gets on Hajime’s nerves, and his self deprecation makes him want to scream but despite all that Hajime still keeps coming back. That has to count for something. 

There’s still doubt in Nagito’s expression, but he lets Hajime once more tug him toward the hotel. 

Hajime is able to find a first aid kit in the lobby of the hotel fairly quickly. He lets Nagito wash his hands, cleaning most of the blood away, and then secures a bandaid over the wound. “There, good as new.”

Nagito turns his hand this way and that as if checking Hajime’s work. Apparently satisfied by what he sees, Nagito grins and once more offers his hand to Hajime. “Aren’t you going to kiss it better Hinata kun?”

Hajime pretends the warmth in his cheeks is from the sun and not embarrassment. He smacks Nagito’s hand away and turns toward the door with a huff. “Come on, we’ve got a sandcastle to build.”

Nagito’s laughter chases him from the hotel. 

By the time they make it back to the beach, their castle has been washed away leaving only a misshapen pile of wet sand and a single seashell to show where it once stood. 

-

Two days later Hajime sees Nagito trip going up the stairs and bang his knee hard enough to bruise.

Not even an hour afterward, Nagito drops a can of blue ram onto his foot, and is nearly hit in the face by a wayward door as Akane bursts through with a little too much exuberance. 

-

It happens again a day later, just when Hajime is starting to think life on Jabberwock Island isn’t as bad as he first thought.

Of course being unable to leave makes it impossible to see the island as anything but a prison, that being said it’s not necessarily unpleasant. There are certainly worse places to end up. In another set of circumstances Hajime could even call their surroundings relaxing. Unfortunately there are far too many mysteries surrounding their imprisonment; and no amount of beautiful scenery can change that.

It’s stressful; so stressful that no one is surprised to see one of their classmates break under the pressure.

Hajime however is a little surprised that it’s Kazuichi who snaps first.

He doesn’t actually know what happened to set him off. One moment Kazuichi and Nagito were having what looked like a perfectly normal (if a bit one sided) conversation, and in the next Kazuichi pulled his arm back and socked Nagito in the jaw. 

A lot of things happen at once after that.

Nagito of course goes down like a stone.

Akane jumps Kazuichi, tackling him into the ground and pinning him there. 

Someone shouts in surprise. 

Hajime runs for Nagito. 

He's already managed to pull himself up into a seated position by the time Hajime drops to his knees at Nagito’s side. There’s blood on his chin from a split in his lip and a distinct red spot on his cheek which will surely bloom into a proper bruise come morning. Nagito blinks blearily at him a few times and then gives him a blood stained grin. “Hinata kun…”

“Are you alright?”

Nagito hums, closing his eyes, but doesn’t answer. 

Mikan rushes over, twisting her fingers in the apron covering her dress. “W-we should take him back to his cottage! I can treat him there!” 

Hajime nods but never takes his eyes off Nagito. “Hey Komaeda can you stand?” 

“I can certainly try but I make no guarantees.”

That’s about as good as he can hope for. Hajime pulls Nagito to his feet, where he immediately sways and nearly falls right back down again. Hajime of course catches him before he faceplants, and swings one of Nagito’s arms around his shoulders to carry his weight as they walk.

Fortunately the hotel isn’t far but Nagito’s constant swaying makes the walk take twice as long. Mikan’s hovering doesn’t really help. She asks Nagito a few questions, but he doesn’t answer, and instead nuzzles against Hajime’s shoulder like a big overgrown cat.

“Hinata kun really shouldn’t touch me” Nagito mumbles, his breath ghosting over Hajime’s neck in a horribly distracting way, “with my luck… who knows what could happen.”

“I’m helping you walk dumbass.”

“And I am truly thankful for your assistance! Hinata kun really is too kind, even to someone worthless like me.”

“Hey can we save the self deprecation for after I’m sure you aren’t concussed?”

“What will you do if I don’t? Will you punish me? Maybe drop me and make me crawl my way back to my cottage?”

“Don’t tempt me Komaeda.”

Nagito laughs against his neck and he shivers. 

They make it to the hotel without incident, though it does take Nagito a sluggish minute to get his cottage door open. As soon as they are inside Mikan directs Nagito to the couch. Once he’s seated and not in danger of falling over, she begins her examination, gently touching his face and asking him more questions. 

There isn’t much Hajime can do to help, so he takes the opportunity to look around.

He’s never been in Nagito’s cottage before.

The layout is identical to Hajime’s own cottage, but there are subtle differences. For one Nagito’s room is so clean it’s almost unbelievable that anyone could be living here, let alone a teenage boy. The only indication that anyone has been staying there is the neat stack of books set up near the bed. Otherwise the floor is completely spotless, and the bed is impeccably made. 

Obviously there isn’t much on the island to make their cottages feel like home, but Hajime had been expecting something… more. Some personal touch that would make it obvious who lived there. 

“H-hinata?”

Hajime startles out of his thoughts and turns to find both Nagito and Mikan looking at him. He feels oddly embarrassed under their scrutiny. “Sorry I was lost in thought.” 

“It’s fine! I-I just wanted to ask if you c-could get something for me?”

“Something from the pharmacy?”

“Yes! If i-it’s not too much trouble that is!”

“I don’t mind, what do you need?”

At least he can make himself useful somehow, even if it is just to play errand boy.

“I-it’s a medicine to help with bruising. H-here let me write down the name for you.”

Mikan pulls a notepad from one of the pockets on her apron and a pen from the other. She scribbles something on the page and then tears it free, handing the paper to Hajime. He doesn’t recognise the medicine she’s written but he trusts her to know what she’s doing and doesn’t question it. “Alright, guess I’ll be back then.”

“Stay safe Hinata kun” Nagito mumbles just as Hajime closes the door behind him.

The walk to the pharmacy isn’t long, but Hajime is thankful for the chance to burn off some of the frantic energy bubbling beneath his skin. He’s… frustrated, at himself for being so useless, and at Nagito for always ending up in these situations.

Is all of this really the result of Nagito’s batshit crazy luck? Every misstep and tumble, even what happened today- is it all just the downward cycle of fortune's wheel?

Before he can ponder the thought further, Hajime finds himself standing in front of the pharmacy. 

The medicine Mikan asked for is fairly easy to find among the shelves and the small round tin fits easy enough in his pocket. Hajime grabs a few different pain killers as well, just in case. 

As he’s leaving, Hajime notices a shelf dedicated to bandages and disinfectants. He tries to remember how many times he saw Nagito fall this week and how many times he wished he had a bandaid to offer. Each and every time Hajime was only able to stand nearby as an observer, unable to actually do anything to help.

There’s room in his pockets for a box of generic adhesive bandages.

Hajime isn’t sure he believes in Nagito’s luck cycle, it seems too fantastic for even an ultimate talent, but the way he’s constantly prepared for the worst case scenario speaks of someone who has experienced tragedy after tragedy. Someone who is used to being hurt, and weathering the aftermath alone.

Maybe it’s not just luck inflicting it’s will unjustly on him. Maybe Nagito is just accident prone.

Really, really accident prone.

In either case, Hajime can at least be prepared to pick him up in whatever way he can.

-

Almost as soon as Hajime returns, medicine in hand, Mikan flees the room; stuttering vague instructions for Nagito to apply the medicine before he goes to bed and again tomorrow morning as she all but flies out the door. Hajime almost asks if something happened while he was gone, but Nagito is looking a little out of it and he probably doesn’t really want to know anyway. Instead he hands the medicine over and lets Nagito clumsily apply it to the worst of his bruising.

Once he’s done Nagito stumbles his way to his bed and slumps down onto the mattress with a sigh. “Thank you for your assistance Hinata kun but you don’t need to watch over me. You must have much more important things to do with your time.”

Hajime hums, neither confirming nor denying. He probably does have something more important to do, but still he stays. “Do you know why Kazuichi punched you?” He asks.

“I imagine he simply found my presence to be an annoyance. Honestly I’m surprised he didn’t try it sooner!”

“Right… but what did you say to piss him off?”

“You’re assuming it was something I said that annoyed him.”

“Well yeah.”

Nagito hums, “Hinata kun if you don’t plan on leaving could we talk about something else? My head hurts.”

Hajime remembers the painkillers in his pocket. “I brought you something for your headache if you wanna try it? Actually I got a couple, I uh I don’t know if you’re allergic to anything or whatever.” 

Nagito takes the painkillers with a soft muttered thank you. He doesn’t take any of the pills, he doesn’t even read the labels, just sets the bottles aside and once more lays his head down with a groan. 

In absence of anything to do, Hajime ends up shuffling on his feet and wondering if he should leave. There isn’t any reason for him to stick around, but he’s still reluctant to go. With a sigh, Hajime sits down on the floor near the bed, his back to the bedframe and his eyes on the door. “You never answered my question” is his justification. 

“Does it matter Hinata kun? I don’t mind. I’d let you hit me too if you want.” 

“Why would I want that?”

“Stress relief?”

Hajime really has no idea what goes on in Nagito’s head. “Komaeda do you want me to hit you?”

“I’d do anything if it gave you hope, but honestly being hit in the face wasn’t pleasant. I’d rather not do it again if it’s all the same to Hinata kun.”

“I never said I was going to hit you!”

Nagito chuckles, “I know. You really are far too kind. You make me want things… things that someone like me has no right to want.” 

Hajime's mouth goes dry as his mind swirls with possibilities. He swallows, but it doesn’t help. “What sort of things?”

Nagito answers with a soft hum but nothing else.

“Komaeda?”

Hajime shifts so he can look up at Nagito on the bed above him. He can just make out his fluffy white hair from his vantage point, but has to sit up on his knees to get a look at his face. Nagito’s eyes are closed, his breathing slow and even with sleep.

For a moment Hajime panics. Aren’t people with head injuries supposed to avoid sleeping? He thinks he read something like that before, or saw on television… then again, Mikan didn’t say anything so it’s probably fine right?

Kazuichi couldn’t have hit him that hard… right?

...He looks so peaceful. 

Nagito’s pale fingers curl beneath his chin, his expression completely relaxed in a way it never is while he’s awake. It’s strange to see him so at peace. He’s good at playing the part but seeing him sleeping without a care in the world, makes his usual facade look all the more fake.

There’s no way Hajime can wake him up. 

Hajime gets to his feet, careful to be quiet as he does so. He pulls off Nagito’s shoes, and sets them by the door. Then he unfolds the thin blanket at the foot of the bed and pulls it over Nagito. Afterward he feels foolish, tucking Nagito in like he’s a toddler scared of the dark. 

He should leave, but Hajime can’t bring himself to move. Something is… missing.

Before he can stop himself, Hajime reaches forward and brushes Nagito’s bangs off his forehead. His hair is soft against his fingers, and oddly fluffy. 

Nagito makes a soft noise in his sleep but doesn’t wake.

Hajime yanks his hand back and leaves the room without looking back.

-

It happens again the next morning, though Hajime isn’t entirely certain that it counts.

When he wakes up Hajime feels like he’s hardly slept at all given how he tossed and turned last night. It’s hunger that finally drags him out of bed, though the morning announcement certainly made a valiant effort. He’s decided to check on Nagito before breakfast, even if all he really wants is to go back to sleep.

Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on the perspective) Hajime’s cottage is close enough to Nagito’s that it takes no time at all to walk over. At least he’s too sleep deprived to feel nervous as he knocks on the door. 

When Nagito answers Hajime immediately notices the dark purple bruising on his cheek. It’s impossible not to with how pale the rest of his skin is.

“Hinata kun! Good morning.”

Hajime is hardly paying attention to the actual words he’s speaking, but watching the way his mouth moves draws attention to the split in his lip. Nagito’s broken the scab and his lip is once again dripping blood down his chin.

The morning has barely started and he’s managed to hurt himself already. Yeah, sounds like Nagito alright. 

“Hi Komaeda,” Hajime says as he invites himself into the cottage. Inside he takes Nagito’s wrist and leads him to the bathroom to clean him up since he is apparently unable to take care of himself. 

Nagito leans against the bathroom counter while Hajime dampens a tissue in the sink. He could hand the tissue over and let Nagito do this himself, but he won’t. Instead he takes the boys chin in hand and carefully wipes at the blood on his face. Nagito doesn’t move an inch, he hardly even breathes, staying perfectly still.

The air between them is strangely tense. 

Hajime’s gaze flickers upward.

When did they get so close?

It’s like last night all over again. Hajime finds himself trapped in the moment, and unwilling to move away.

Unable to bear Nagito’s intense gaze, Hajime looks down. It doesn’t help much, as he’s once again staring at Nagito’s mouth. His thoughts wander to dangerous territory. Too dangerous. It isn’t like him to be this bold.

The moment stretches between them.

Hajime’s thumb brushes his bottom lip. Nagito gasps.

They’re too close.

Hajime clears his throat and takes a step back. Nagito’s arms twitch at his sides, as if to reach out and stop Hajime from moving away. His sharp inhale rasps too loud in the quiet. Letting Nagito get this close was a bad idea, a stupid, terrible, and utterly foolish idea.

“Did you remember your medicine?” Hajime asks, trying to break through whatever strange spell has taken hold of the moment.

Nagito shakes his head.

Honestly Hajime isn’t surprised.

The tin is still on the bedside table where it was left last night. Hajime leaves the bathroom to get it, taking the time to breathe and try calming himself down. Why is he so nervous? It’s just Nagito. They’re friends. He’s just making sure Nagito takes care of himself. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that.

Once his heart has made a valiant attempt to return to something resembling normal, Hajime grabs the container of medicine and heads back into the bathroom. Nagito is now sitting up on the counter giving him even more height over Hajime.

He could just hand over the medicine and call it a day, just like he could have told Nagito about his bloody lip and left it at that. 

He unscrews the top of the tin and bridges the distance between them. Once more taking Nagito’s chin in hand, Hajime dips his fingers into the medicine and carefully applies the salve to his bruised cheek. Each touch is gentle and soft, determined to be the one who soothes the hurt and never the one to cause it. 

Nagito sighs and leans into the touch.

Hajime breathes in and tries not to let his hands visibly shake. 

It’s not entirely successful. 

The bruise looks wrong on Nagito’s skin, and the more he stares at it the more wrong it looks. It could certainly be worse. Honestly it probably only looks so bad because Nagito is so pale. That doesn’t stop some dark part of Hajime hissing its displeasure in the back of his thoughts, knowing Nagito is hurt and there is little he can do about it. 

His fingers are left tacky when he’s done applying the medicine.

The fragile silence sits between them like glass.

Hajime cups Nagito’s cheek in his hand, covering the purple stain on his skin with his palm. With his other hand he traces the edge of Nagito’s jaw up to his hairline, and drags his fingers through Nagitio’s hair. It’s just as soft as it was last night. 

“Hinata kun-”

“Shut up Komaeda.”

His heart is pounding, aching against his ribs as he shifts his body forward to place himself more firmly between Nagito’s knees. They’re practically chest to chest, close enough to feel warm breath against his face.

Nagito’s startled gray green eyes never stray from Hajime’s face.

Both his hands slide into Nagito’s hair, gently encouraging him to lean down. Nagito lets him, perfectly malleable in Hajime’s hands. He could get away with so much if he wanted. Nagito would let him do just about anything.

If he leaned up just another inch they could… they’re so close…

Hajime closes his eyes, takes another deep breath, and then pulls himself up onto his toes so he can press a gentle kiss over the darkest shadow of the bruise on his cheek. Nagito shudders, air wheezing out of his lungs. 

“There” Hajime whispers, too terrified of shattering the moment to speak any louder, “I kissed it better.” 

Nagito shivers again, shifting forward to reclaim lost inches. “Hinata kun.” 

Hajime tilts his head and his lips brush the corner of Nagito’s mouth. 

Someone knocks on the door.

Hajime shoves himself away from Nagito so fast he nearly drags the poor boy off the counter with him. His back hits the opposite wall rather painfully as his shoulder catches the edge of the doorframe. Hajime winces, muttering a curse under his breath.

He almost-

They-

“Fuck.”

Hajime leaves the bathroom, practically gasping for breath, both thanking and cursing the person behind the door for the interruption.

Nagito makes no move to follow him. 

He’s almost disappointed.

“Komaeda san!” Sonia calls from the other side of the door, “I hope I am not interrupting your morning but I have brought Soda san here to apologise for his actions yesterday!”

Of course she did. 

Hajime prays that his face isn’t too red when he opens the door.

-

They don’t talk about it. 

The day after the incident in the bathroom, Nagito greets Hajime with the same unnerving and unwavering admiration as if nothing changed. It’s… infuriating. Not that Hajime is in any hurry to put a name to the feeling growing in his chest, but seeing Nagito act like it didn’t happen is starting to make him feel like he’s going insane.

A box of bandages sit in Hajime’s pocket like a weight. 

Ignoring Nagito is not an option; not when Hajime has tuned his senses to Nagito’s frequency after the first time that lucky bastard tripped over himself and cut up his hands. He’s grown too accustomed to keeping Nagito in his peripherals, like a sentinel watching for danger, or more accurately like some overbearing mother.

Despite the tension between them, it’s muscle memory to make his way over when Nagito falls and help him to his feet.

The next time he scrapes his palms on the rough ground, Hajime is there with a damp cloth to clean him up.

The next time he cuts himself while washing dishes in the kitchen sink, Hajime is already there with a bandage in hand.

Hajime was doomed from the start.

-

The bruise on Nagito’s face heals with each passing day.

Each time Hajime catches sight of it, without fail, he is nearly undone by the urge to press another traitorous kiss to that cheek. 

-

It happens again as the week comes to an end, and another of Usami’s team building projects is completed. Their teacher hands out date tickets to everyone in the class with tears of pride in her plushie eyes.

It makes Hajime think of the last time he used a date ticket. 

The class chat excitedly amongst themselves, already making plans and pairing off. Hajime briefly considers finding Chiaki, but Ibuki has gotten to her first. Chiaki offers him a small smile as Ibuki drags her away, and then pointedly stares at something over his shoulder.

Hajime follows her gaze and finds Nagio approaching him with the look of someone who already expects to be rejected. 

How could he say no?

They go to the library to escape the overbearing heat of the sun. It doesn’t occur to Hajime that he’s doomed himself to an afternoon spent in close proximity, alone, with Nagito until after it’s too late to suggest they do something else. 

An hour of stiff silence passes them by as they read across from each other at one of the library tables.

Then Nagito cuts himself on one of the book pages. 

Wordlessly Hajime pulls a bandaid out of his pocket and slides it across the table.

“Thank you Hinata kun.” Nagito takes the bandaid and covers the cut on his finger. 

Hajime shrugs and tries to go back to reading. It’s nearly impossible for him to focus when he keeps catching sight of the bandaid on Nagito’s finger. He feels… weird. He wants to take Nagito’s hand and kiss the hurt, like that isn’t what got him into this mess in the first place.

His eyes wander up to the bruise on his cheek.

Bad idea.

Hajime’s heart thumps painfully in his chest.

He isn’t sure when wanting to help Nagito turned into actually liking him, but he’s in far too deep to turn back now. 

-

If this goes on much longer Hajime is going to actually go insane.

-

The next day they are back to work as Usami sends most of the class to pick up materials on the beach. Including Hajime and Nagito. 

Hajime can think of a million different ways a simple activity like picking up seashells could easily lead to injury so he spends most of the morning preparing for the inevitable. First he makes sure he has plenty of water and sunscreen on his person, then he searches the pharmacy for aloe vera which he puts in the restaurant fridge so it’s nice and cool when it’s needed.

Nagito strikes him as the sort of person to sunburn regardless of how much sunscreen he wears. 

Preparations complete, Hajime goes to meet his class at the beach. 

Hajime spots Nagito and Chiaki walking side by side, and makes his way over to them. Chiaki waves when she notices him, while Nagito smiles as bright as the sun. “Hinata kun! Good morning.”

Before even bothering to return the greeting, Hajime hands the sunscreen over. “Good morning.”

“Ah, Hinata kun you don’t have to-”

“Take the sunscreen Komaeda.”

Nagito does as he asks without arguing further. He pours the lotion onto his palms and then applies it to his face while Chiaki and Hajime wait for him to finish.

“Take off your jacket and get your arms too” Hajime suggests.

“Do you think I should? I don’t think I can sunburn through my jacket.” 

“Better safe than sorry. You might take it off later.”

Nagito shrugs out of his jacket. “If you say so!”

Hajime holds the coat for him as he rubs sunscreen onto his arms. 

Chiaki watches the entire exchange with her head tilted to one side curiously. “How did you know Nagito needed sunscreen?”

He shrugs. “Guess I got lucky.”

She smiles knowingly but doesn’t call him out; she simply turns back to her game, unconcerned with the task at hand. 

It falls to Nagito and Hajime to do most of the collecting since Chiaki is far too easily distracted. Still it’s a lot more fun than Hajime would have expected. Chiaki is one of the few people on the island who doesn’t mind how weird Nagito is, so spending time with the two of them is nice.

Hajime wouldn’t mind if everyday was like this.

Unfortunately, no matter how many times he makes Nagito reapply the sunscreen throughout the day, his cheeks still end up burned red from the sun by the time they are done collecting materials.

Hajime doesn’t even pretend to be surprised at this point, just sighs as he takes Nagito by the wrist and leads him to the restaurant. Nagito makes a halfhearted attempt at resistance. “Hinata kun maybe you shouldn’t-”

“It’s fine Komaeda.”

The restaurant is thankfully empty when they get there. He doesn’t really feel like explaining himself to anyone. Hajime tells Nagito to sit down at one of the tables while he retrieves the aloe from the fridge. It’s cool to the touch, but not frozen. Perfect for sunburnt skin.

Hajime doesn’t think about it as he opens the container and dips his fingers inside. Nagito tilts his head up and lets Hajime rub the aloe onto his reddened cheeks without hesitation. The moment it touches his skin he gasps.

“Too cold?”

Nagito shakes his head. “It feels nice.”

Hajime smiles as Nagito’s eyes slip shut. He’s perfectly comfortable here, letting Hajime take care of him. He looks peaceful even. Unafraid. Nagito certainly deserves it, despite what he says. Hajime wants him to always be this at ease, wants to be the one to make him feel that way.

Maybe he’s run out of excuses. 

Unwilling to stop himself, Hajime ducks down to press his lips to Nagito’s forehead before applying the aloe there. Nagito gasps quietly but doesn’t say anything, so Hajime does it again, this time kissing his cheek, and then the edge of his jaw.

When Hajime leans back, Nagito’s cheeks are red from more than sunburn. “Hinata kun I don’t…” 

Hajime interrupts him, “can I kiss you?”

Nagito’s eyes fly open. “I… Hinata kun can do whatever he wants to me.”

“Okay but do you want me to?”

“I know better than to hope you would want to do something like that with trash like me-”

“Nagito.” Hajime interrupts, “what do you want?”

“I want…” he trails off, fisting his hands in the front of Hajime’s shirt, tugging him closer. “Hinata kun please.”

Nagito’s eyes flutter closed again as Hajime ducks down and finally presses their lips together. The contact, slight as it is, makes Nagito shiver against him. His lips aren’t soft, they catch against Hajime’s own, and their noses bump against each other, but it’s perfect. So, so perfect. He wraps an arm around Nagito’s waist to tug him closer, and threads his fingers through white hair to keep him there.

The kiss steals the breath from his lungs, and his heart pounds so hard and fast Hajime is sure Nagito can feel it through the cage of his ribs. It’s dizzying. Electrifying. 

When Hajime pulls away Nagito leans forward chasing the contact, so Hajime kisses him again and again...

Distracted as he is, Hajime doesn’t notice the footsteps approaching until after Kazuichi shouts in alarm.

Why is it always Kazuichi?

Hajime’s first instinct is to jerk away; to try and play this off as something other than what it clearly looks like. He buries that feeling with the embarrassment rising to his cheeks, and stays exactly where he is. He doesn’t need Nagito thinking he’s ashamed of him. The last thing Hajime wants is to add fuel to his self deprecation.

Slowly Hajimes leans back and looks over at Kazuichi. The moment their eyes meet Kazuichi startles like he’s been shocked. His entire face goes red. “Nevermind I’ll come back later!” He shouts.

Kazuichi backs out of the restaurant without another word.

Mood effectively ruined, Hajime groans and drops his forehead to Nagito’s shoulder. Nagito has the good grace to laugh at him, but also runs a hand through his hair which works wonders for distracting him. 

They stay like that for a while, Nagito brushing his fingers through Hajime’s hair like he often does for Nagito, while Hajime tries to work through his embarrassment. 

There’s no way Kazuichi is going to keep this to himself. Which means by tomorrow the entire island is going to know. Hajime really would have liked to keep whatever is going on between them to themselves, at least until he could put a name to this nebulous…. thing he feels. That’s likely going to be impossible now.

It’s Nagito who eventually breaks the silence, speaking softly to himself. “What does this mean? Is it good luck? Or bad luck?”

Hajime lifts his head so they can make eye contact. “It means that I like you, and I think you like me too.”

“...Does that… Are we friends Hinata kun?”

“A little past the ‘just friends’ point I’d say, I mean, if you want to be that is- and don’t give me that bullshit about your luck. I told you I want to know what you want.” 

“What I want… am I even allowed to want?” 

Hajime could scream in frustration. “We’re just going to keep going in circles with this aren’t we?”

“Probably. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful Hinata kun.”

“Don’t be. I like you just the way you are” even infuriating as he can be.

Nagito smiles, “you should have higher standards.”

“Maybe, but I think I’m okay with things the way they are.”

“And maybe… maybe I want Hinata kun to kiss me again.”

That is certainly something Hajime would be happy to do, but first; “Hajime. You should call me by my first name. I-I think I’d like that. A lot.”

Nagito pulls him in by his tie, a teasing grin on his face “Hajime” he all but purrs against his lips.

Nothing on earth could keep Hajime from ducking down and kissing him again.

-

Bandaids sit heavy in Hajime’s pocket as he sits across from Chiaki at breakfast. It’s too early for the restaurant to be full, but even if it was, Hajime would have noticed right away when Nagito wanders in. 

He pushes out the chair at his side, wordlessly offering the seat to Nagito which he takes with a small pleased smile. Of course as he does, Nagito smacks the back of his hand against the corner of the table. Without missing a beat, Hajime takes Nagito’s hand in his own and presses a kiss to the back of his hand. “Good morning Nagito.”

“Good morning Hajime, ah and good morning Nanami san.”

Nagito doesn’t let go of his hand. 

Chiaki watches them both with a fond smile, though neither of them notice. She goes back to her game without saying anything.

-

Hajime stops keeping track of how many times Nagito injures himself throughout the week, but he never stops keeping bandaids in his pocket.

Just in case.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun Fact!  
> Nagito says 'Hinata Kun' thirty two times in this fic


End file.
